Quote:
Originally Posted by scalziand
I wonder if the APUs are capable of keeping the engines warm on cold nights, as that's another of the reasons engines are idled at night, at least in the winter.
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All of this is going to h*ll on the small owner operator. The increasing sophistication of power plants and their computer controls (and the increasing pressure to have to buy new trucks that will cost even more), as well as the possible use of APUs either provided by the truck owner or by truck stop operators will be very hard on small truck companies.
Most certainly Walmucks truck fleet will be one the first to convert!
I do not know enough about diesel engines to suggest how to keep a motor warm without idling at -20C, but, I suspect that warm air could be blown through the crank case, or the engine's cooling system could be redesigned (switchable thermostats) and in line heaters*, and, running the right type of diesel fuel. Diesels can be very difficult to start, and, the amount of wear cranking a very cold large engine per engine revolution can be huge (like 100 miles of wear equivalents per minute**)
*Basically, a truck would need an exterior electrical plug in to provide power heat the antifreeze, and, operate the blower on the heater as well as truck driver amenities.
**Applies to a lesser extent to small gasoline powered engines, but hard cranking a gasoline engine at -30C will produce metal filings.)